Tim Clark just made his second eagle in four holes on the par-4 fourth (his 13th) to go to 10-under for the day and 15-under for the tournament and pass Mike Weir for the lead. Clark started the day at 5-under for the tournament, but made five birdies on the front, a birdie on the first, an eagle on the second, a par on the third and then another eagle on the fourth, which is a drivable par-4.
For the second day in a row, TPC Boston is indefensible, with the cut line hovering around 3-under and threatening to go lower. As I’ve said in other posts, the main culprit is the weather. There’s been very little direct sunlight, which means the greens are as soft as they were for Wednesday’s pro-am. When pros see soft greens, they start firing at every pin, which is what they’re doing. I just got back from following Padraig Harrington, Hunter Mahan and Jerry Kelly, and on the 18th hole, Kelly and Mahan both hit woods into the green and they stopped to within 15 feet of pin, something that wouldn’t have happened if the greens were a little crispy.
Speaking of Harrington, it looks as though he won’t make the cut unless he gets it going on the back nine. On the 17th, he hit an approach shot to within five feet, but missed the putt. Then on the 18th, he landed his second shot on the right-front rough, then chipped his ball about 10 feet past the hole. I can’t tell if he’s tired or frustrated, but whatever he is he’s not playing well.
Humorous aside No. 1: As I was standing on the 17th green, next to a hospitality tent, Jerry Kelly’s caddie walked up next to me and traded a father and son Kelly’s glove for a couple Dunkin’ Donuts gift certificates. As the caddie was walking away, he turned back and said, “This is the best thing that’s happened to me all week.”
Humorous aside No. 2: As Padraig Harrington was walking down the 17th fairway, an older women with an Irish accent yelled to him some words of encouragement. As I was walking past her, I heard her tell the man standing next to him, “My sister is married to that guy’s brother.”
